Further, the researchers found that music activates the brain, causing whole region to communicate.

By listening to the personal soundtrack, the visual network, the salience network, the executive network and the cerebellar and corticocerebellar network pairs all showed significantly higher functional connectivity.

“Brain imaging showed that personally meaningful music is an alternative route for communicating with patients who have Alzheimer’s disease,” said Norman Foster, Director at the varsity.

“Language and visual memory pathways are damaged early as the disease progresses, but personalised music programmes can activate the brain, especially for patients who are losing contact with their environment,” Foster said.

However, these results are by no means conclusive, the researchers noted.

While “no one says playing music will be a cure for Alzheimer’s disease, it might make the symptoms more manageable, decrease the cost of care and improve a patient’s quality of life”, Anderson said.